Yemisi Izuora
Anambra State government has vowed nothing will stop the enforcement of motorcycle ban it earlier announced.
It said enforcement of the order banning the use of motorcycles in greater Onitsha and Awka general areas will commence on Sunday, July 1.
Uchenna Okafor, the commissioner for Transport, reiterated this position during a meeting on July 26 with leaders of the Motorcycle Transport Union of Nigeria, MTUN, and other stakeholders in his office in Awka.
Okafor also announced that the Anambra State Government placed orders for a total of 1,000 shuttle buses, through Anambra State Small Business Agency, ASBA.
The vehicles would be distributed to those that would be affected by the government decision, to ensure they had alternative means of livelihood.
“This meeting is therefore an opportunity to interact with you and also seek your support in helping to identify genuine `okada riders’, in the areas covered by the ban, they are the ones that will benefit from the shuttle buses irrespective of the state of origin.
“It is not for all okada riders in the state,’’ the commissioner said.
He said that each of the 1,000 shuttle buses has a price value of N750,000 (seven hundred and fifty thousand naira), adding that each beneficiary would be required to pay an initial N100,000 down payment and later phase the balance in instalment as would be determined by ASBA.
In line with the need to ensure that those migrating from okada drivers to bus drivers conformed to bus driving standards, the commissioner announced that his Ministry in collaboration with the Vehicle Inspection Officers, VIOs, and Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, would organise a week-long training programme.
He said that only those who undergo the motor driving training would be allowed to ply the roads.
The commissioner reminded commercial motorcycle riders in the state that the ban was for the areas mentioned and that they were free to engage in the okada transport business in other cities of the state not mentioned in the ban.
Furthermore, he said that the ban would affect both commercial and private motorcyclists in affected areas, and appealed to all who might be affected to respect government’s decision and get off the roads in the areas covered by the ban before July 1.
Okafor re-assured the okada riders that on the contrary, Governor Willie Obiano had their interest at heart, evidenced in the package he had arranged to ensure seamless transition from okada to shuttle bus owners, a move that would boost their economic status.
The transport commissioner reassured the worried union leaders of his commitment to protecting the interest of the group, reiterating that the Governor means well for everybody and every interest group in the state.
In their separate speeches, John Onedibe, Jude Udeagbe, national and state officers of the Motorcycle Transport Union of Nigeria, MTUN, called for extension of the period of the ban enforcement from July 1 to January 2019 to give more time for their members to adjust to the ban.
They, however, expressed happiness that the government was carrying the Motorcycle Transport Union along in the implementation of the ban on okada in Greater Onitsha and Awka general areas.
He requested that care be taken to ensure that the shuttle buses being arranged, would be procured from reputable sources.
The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the leaders of the various chapters of the Motorcycle Transport Union in Anambra State, and Tony Nweke, a representative of commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment.